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      GREAT LONG TIME

Mark McDonald

       Produced by INTUNE PRODUCTIONS       

On May 29th, Great Long Time, the first CD compilation by multi instrumentalist, Mark McDonald was released. Mark plays the steel body resonator guitar, acoustic guitar, and racked harmonica in an effort to carry on the tradition of Delta and Country Blues.

This CD was recorded live in The Banquet Sound Studio, Santa Rosa, CA in the spring of 2002. His goal was to recreate much of the feel of the recordings that took place in the twenties and thirties in the Southern United States. Most songs were done with one take, not much editing and no overdubs of any kind. So what you hear is exactly what took place on those days. The beginning of Key to the Hiway and the entire Steady Rollin' Man simulates a 78 recording replete with scratches and pops and recorded in mono with no effects.

Mark's interpretations of standards like Key to the Highway, Ain't Nobody's Business, Driftin' Blues and Robert Johnson's Steady Rollin' Man and Walkin' Blues bring a new intensity and refreshing treatment to these great songs. The CD namesake, Great Long Time, is a guitar and racked harmonica instrumental that is haunting and beautiful. The other instrumentals on the CD are done with the National Reso-phonic style "0" guitar and are original songs that have evolved from one porch or another. The original songs on the CD range from the Country Blues based Not Around Blues to the lighter Dr. Laura's Blues and the boom chuck fun of Lucky Few.

Mark McDonald has played the guitar since the age of 14. He was trained in music from 5 years old and played woodwind instruments in his early years with jazz and marching bands. In his teen years he played lead guitar in a Rock and Roll Band. From the first day he picked up a harmonica he knew this was an instrument he could relate to because the tone, expression, and melody of the instrument comes more from the heart than the head.